wilby wonderful snippet (emily and duck)
More Wilby Wonderful-ness. <3 Emily and Duck.
Double-double
*****
Emily had opened early, but there weren't any customers yet, so she was sitting behind the counter and flipping through a magazine, waiting for her mother to show up. She was already fifteen minutes late, and when the bell dinged on the door, Emily was ready to say something about it.
"You're--" Emily started, but when she looked up it wasn't her mother in the doorway. It was Duck MacDonald.
Emily jumped to her feet and swept the magazine off the counter. "Hi."
"Hey," Duck said. He smiled at her a little, and Emily could -- dammit -- feel herself blushing. She hadn't seen or talked to Duck MacDonald since that night with Taylor, and she could have gone a long while without seeing him again. How were you supposed to act around someone who had seen you make an idiot out of yourself like that? Duck had gotten rid of Taylor, and he'd hugged her and comforted her and talked to her, and she was grateful for all that, but it was easier to be grateful when he wasn't this close.
"Slow morning?" Duck said, sounding casual. Emily didn't look in his eyes. She looked at his hands instead. They were resting in front of him on the counter, one of his fingers tapping something out, out of rhythm.
"I guess," Emily said. "Um, can I get you something?"
"Yeah. Uh, one small black coffee. And one ... double-double."
Emily was glad to turn her back to him to work on the coffees. It only took a moment before she placed them in front of him.
"Anything else?"
"Yeah, I think so. Maybe a donut. One of the--" Duck trailed off, and Emily finally looked up to his face. Duck was frowning at the donuts, like he was concentrating on them carefully, like there was a right answer there and a wrong one.
He wasn't going to say anything about that night, Emily realized, feeling relief bubble up through her. She watched Duck hesitate, and the feeling of being a stupid kid faded away.
Emily said quietly, "Mr. Jarvis gets the jelly kind sometimes."
Duck glanced at her. "Yeah?" His mouth curved up a little. "One of those, then. Thanks."
"No problem," said Emily.
Emily sat back on her stool and watched him leave. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the counter, and stared out into space thoughtfully until her mother arrived, loud and jingling and cheerful, and snapped her out of her mood.
Double-double
*****
Emily had opened early, but there weren't any customers yet, so she was sitting behind the counter and flipping through a magazine, waiting for her mother to show up. She was already fifteen minutes late, and when the bell dinged on the door, Emily was ready to say something about it.
"You're--" Emily started, but when she looked up it wasn't her mother in the doorway. It was Duck MacDonald.
Emily jumped to her feet and swept the magazine off the counter. "Hi."
"Hey," Duck said. He smiled at her a little, and Emily could -- dammit -- feel herself blushing. She hadn't seen or talked to Duck MacDonald since that night with Taylor, and she could have gone a long while without seeing him again. How were you supposed to act around someone who had seen you make an idiot out of yourself like that? Duck had gotten rid of Taylor, and he'd hugged her and comforted her and talked to her, and she was grateful for all that, but it was easier to be grateful when he wasn't this close.
"Slow morning?" Duck said, sounding casual. Emily didn't look in his eyes. She looked at his hands instead. They were resting in front of him on the counter, one of his fingers tapping something out, out of rhythm.
"I guess," Emily said. "Um, can I get you something?"
"Yeah. Uh, one small black coffee. And one ... double-double."
Emily was glad to turn her back to him to work on the coffees. It only took a moment before she placed them in front of him.
"Anything else?"
"Yeah, I think so. Maybe a donut. One of the--" Duck trailed off, and Emily finally looked up to his face. Duck was frowning at the donuts, like he was concentrating on them carefully, like there was a right answer there and a wrong one.
He wasn't going to say anything about that night, Emily realized, feeling relief bubble up through her. She watched Duck hesitate, and the feeling of being a stupid kid faded away.
Emily said quietly, "Mr. Jarvis gets the jelly kind sometimes."
Duck glanced at her. "Yeah?" His mouth curved up a little. "One of those, then. Thanks."
"No problem," said Emily.
Emily sat back on her stool and watched him leave. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the counter, and stared out into space thoughtfully until her mother arrived, loud and jingling and cheerful, and snapped her out of her mood.